Frequently asked questions

Yes, at our Woodbridge office at 14136 Minnieville Rd. New patients of all ages are welcome and most new-patient exams can be booked within the same week. Call (703) 884-2080 or use the contact form.

Monday to Thursday 8:00am to 5:00pm and Friday 8:00am to 1:00pm. We are closed Saturday and Sunday. Time is held every weekday for urgent problems.

A full examination with digital X-rays and intraoral photos, gum charting and an oral cancer screening, then we put the images on screen and explain what we found. You leave with a written plan and costs, and treatment can often start the same day.

Yes. Tell the front desk who is coming and we will book consecutive appointments so one trip covers everyone.

Yes. Sign a release at your first visit and we will request your notes and recent X-rays, which avoids repeating imaging you have already had.

Yes. Our team is bilingual and handles booking, insurance and treatment explanations in Spanish. Hay una versión de este sitio en español.

All major PPO dental plans and Medicare Advantage dental benefits. The carriers we see most often are listed on our accepted insurance page, and if yours is not there it is still worth calling.

Yes. We verify your benefits with your carrier first and give you a written estimate with those benefits applied, so the figure you see is the figure you pay.

Our membership plan covers cleanings, exams and X-rays for a flat monthly or yearly fee with a discount on other treatment. Larger work can also be spread over monthly payments through Cherry.

Where a plan of work is larger than what your policy pays in a year, we can often split it across two benefit years so more of it is covered. We will show you both options.

Call as early in the day as you can. We keep emergency time in the schedule every weekday for severe toothache, swelling, a broken tooth or a lost crown, and in most cases we can see you that day.

Severe or worsening pain, swelling in the face or gum, a tooth knocked out or pushed out of position, a broken tooth with sharp edges or exposed nerve, uncontrolled bleeding, or a lost crown or filling that has left the tooth sensitive.

Hold it by the crown, not the root, rinse it gently in milk or saline if it is dirty, and try to put it back in the socket. If that is not possible keep it in milk and call us immediately. Time matters more than anything else here.

It depends on your risk rather than the calendar. Stable gums, no active decay and good home care can mean longer between visits, while active gum disease or a history of decay means being seen more often. We tell you which applies to you and why.

They show what an examination cannot: decay between teeth and under existing fillings, bone loss, infection at the root and unerupted teeth. Our digital sensors use up to 90% less radiation than film, and we take them based on your risk rather than to a fixed schedule.

Not always. If the margin is sealed and there is no decay underneath on X-ray, the right answer is to leave it and monitor. Replacing a filling always removes a little more tooth.

A bridge, a denture or an implant, depending on how many teeth are missing, the state of the bone and the teeth either side, and your budget. We go through what each involves, what it costs and how long it should last before you decide.

Most treatment is done under local anesthetic, so the area is fully numb. Pressure and sound are normal, pain is not. Tell us if anything is uncomfortable and we will stop and add more.

By their first birthday, or within six months of the first tooth appearing. Early visits are mostly about getting comfortable in the chair rather than treatment.

Brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, supervise until they are around seven or eight, and keep sugar to mealtimes rather than spread through the day. Frequency matters more than quantity. Sealants and fluoride varnish add protection on back teeth.